The Fastest Military Jets in History

North American XB-70 Valkyrie

XB-70A parked on a ramp at Edwards Air Force Base in 1967. Originally designed as a Mach 3 bomber, the XB-70A never went into production and instead was used for flight research involving the Air Force and NASA's Flight Research Center FRC, which was a predecessor of today's NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. The aircraft's shadow indicates its unusual planform. This featured two canards behind the cockpit, followed by a large, triangular delta wing. The outboard portions of the wing were hinged so they could be folded down for improved high-speed stability.

The XB-70 Valkyrie is an impressive military aircraft whose legacy would wind up being something totally different than what it set out to accomplish. The Valkyrie was originally built to be the baddest manned strategic bomber ever known. It was an exciting concept with a planned cruise speed of Mach 3 at altitudes of around 70,000 feet. The design not only looked cool, the wing structure is what theoretically would make the aircraft preform so well. All the while, there was another aviation arena garnering a lot of attention known as supersonic transport. It just so happened that the size and material of the XB-70 Valkyrie was ideal for testing SST. Thus its purpose was then officially changed from manned bomber to research aircraft. It’s early test flights provided a lot of valuable information for SST designers, including aircraft noise and the reliability of wind tunnel predictions versus actual flight findings. Unfortunately, there were two casualties during the testing of this aircraft, which complicated the program. It remains one of the most valuable research planes ever made.

• Top Speed: 2,050 mph
• Max Flight Distance: 3,725 miles on internal fuel